


Eventually We Find Our Way

by ieatravioli



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-24
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 15:24:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/467799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatravioli/pseuds/ieatravioli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry wakes up a few days after the zombie apocalypse and Louis is nowhere to be found.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> italics are flashbacks btw!

**Day 2**

Harry wakes up, feeling groggier than he normally would. He tries to part his lips to let out a tired groan but his mouth is much too dry. He blinks his eyes several times but each blink brings him no closer to seeing light. “Turn the light on you morons” he calls out, his voice scratchy and he has never felt this thirsty before in his whole life. No one replies and he strains his ears to hear anything in this dark room. He hears distant screaming. Must be the fans he thinks and opens his mouth again to call out for one of the boys to turn the damn light on. That is when he feels a clammy hand fasten around his mouth and a hard object hitting his head, knocking him out before he can even struggle.

**Day 5**

The screaming has stopped but the darkness remains. Harry is no longer certain he is amongst his friends and is sitting as still as he possibly can, hardly daring to breath with his arms wrapped tightly around his head. He has worried himself sick trying to think about what could possibly be going on but nothing rational comes to mind. He refuses to think about where anyone else is and focuses solely on catching his own breath. I just want a fucking drink, one drink.

He hears a sudden movement to his left and clenches his whole body until he feels as stiff as a board. He curses at his own hands as they begin to tremble.

_Such big hands Harry, I could find good use for them_

“Harry?”

Harry is sure the second voice is also a flashback and remains silent.

“Harry?” the voice hisses again, piercing the air, the sound louder to Harry now than any thunder storm he has ever endured. It is familiar, an Irish voice, a friendly voice now riddled with fear.

“Niall?” Harry dares to reply and hears a tremendous sigh of relief and what sounds and feels like a body slumping next to him.

“Thank God, I was starting to worry that thump I gave you actually killed you” he hears Niall trying to joke but his tone falls flat, his worry clear even in the dark.

“That was you?” Harry whispers incredulously. He feels Niall cringe into himself.

“Sorry but I thought you were going to panic and draw attention to us, I had no other choice”

Draw attention? When has that ever been a bad thing for them? What the hell is going on?

“Niall, what-“

He feels Niall’s hand over his mouth and stops short, listens as a sudden thump echoes around them. Harry’s sure his heartbeat is louder than the thumping, coming from up above them. It stops after a few minutes and seems to move off into the distance. Harry turns to look at Niall but the place is still so fucking dark.

He hears a scratching noise and suddenly the distance between Harry and Niall is lit by a tiny match in Niall’s hand. Niall looks awful; Harry almost reels back at the shock of seeing him. His skin is smeared with dirt, he looks ten years older, worry etched all across his usually glowing face. Niall moves his hand across the room, lighting it up and checking each corner hurriedly. When he is certain the coast is clear he reaches for something at his feet and switches on a large torch, lighting most of the room.

Afraid to speak, Harry takes in his surroundings. He is in what appears to be a shelter of some sort. The wall in front of him is covered with large shelves with various items scattered across each one. There is a variety of tinned food and tools, things useful for such events as a bomb scare or a bad storm.

“Niall what is going on?” Harry finally asks, watching as Niall pours Harry a flask of water with shaking hands.

Niall hands it to him and Harry drinks it ravishingly, feeling blissful as the water sooths his chapped lips.

“You’re not going to find this easy to believe but just- just bear with me ok?” Niall starts, looking extremely tired but not tired enough where he would willingly fall asleep. Harry nods his head sharply and shakes the last remaining bit of water in his flask.

“Around five or six days ago, we were just finishing our tour as you know, when all over the news there was some kind of epidemic happening up in Scotland. Some disease was spreading more rapidly than anything doctors anywhere in the world had seen. This disease had affected over a million people in under 24 hours. There was no time for hospitals in the UK to prepare for such an influx of patients. So the ones who were refused access were left to roam the streets, the police tried to contain them but, they went, well they went crazy. They started attacking the police, like biting them, fucking eating them. They are savages, some say they are zombies. I don’t know anymore, the media has been down since the second day. I have no idea what is going on, all I know is we need to stay as far away from the Infected as possible. We were all ushered away when we found out, Paul didn’t tell us what was happening, he was just pushing us, that is when you fell and hit your head, which is why you woke up in this hell hole” Niall stops telling his story and waits patiently for Harry’s response.

Harry is sitting on his hunches, unable to process this shocking information. He shakes his head numerous times and waits for Niall to burst out laughing or that Ashton Kutcher asshole to jump out and scream “PUNK’D” in his face. But he knows deep down that nobody would go this far for a joke, not even Louis.

Wait. Louis.

“Where are the others?” Harry stands up, now suddenly aware of the small space and it being only him and Niall. Niall stand up too and places his hands on Harry’s shoulders, immediately recognising Harry’s panic.

“Zayn and Liam are in a bunker nearby; I’ve being going over and back to check on them, they are fine”

He pauses and his eyes dart around the room, trying to find anything to focus on that isn’t Harry’s wild eyes.

Harry raises his eyebrows, the nerves in his stomach stopping him from asking the question.

“I um, I don’t know where Louis is”

There is a harrowing silence in the bunker following Niall’s short and nervous statement. Harry feels like crumbling to the floor, feels like shoving Niall against the wall for telling him all this. Instead, he just gently lifts Niall’s hands off his shoulders and paces the room. His hands are shaking so much he feels like he is going to have a fit. Niall watches him like a hawk, unable to say anything to comfort Harry, feeling just as bad as him but trying to remain level headed.

“When is the last time you saw him?” Harry finally asks, his back to Niall and his face inches from the wall. He can almost hear the kegs of Niall’s brain moving.

“Before we were ushered into the bunkers, he was helping carry you into this one. When they closed the door he was not with us, I tried to get out to get him Harry, I did”

Harry raises his hand to shush him and tries to stop his mind filling up with images of Louis being grabbed and mauled by some zombie like creature. He fights back the waves of nausea but it is all way too much to handle and he falls to the ground before Niall can catch him.

**Day 6**

“I’m fucking sick of waking up in the dark” Harry mumbles and waits for Niall’s response. When it doesn’t come Harry reaches out to his left and his hand grasps air instead of the arm of his friend. He remembers everything Niall told him and sits up. He nearly screams out Niall’s name but remembers that he will only draw unwanted attention. He scrambles around for the torch but cannot find it, instead his hands land on a long steel object. A crowbar maybe. He grips it like it is his life and huddles in the corner, his eyes focused on what he hopes is the door.

He tries to distract himself by humming. Quietly of course.

_My least favourite thing Harry does? Humming, he never shuts up, sometimes I just want to tape his mouth shut and get a lie in in the morning._

Harry immediately stops humming and sits in silence for what feels like hours.

He hears footsteps overhead and swallows, gripping the crowbar tightly. The door to the bunker opens and Harry’s eyes squint against the light, he feels terrified as his vision is useless to him now so he swings out wildly with the bar.

“Jaysus what are you trying to do to me?” he hears Niall yelp and withdraws his arm.

“Sorry” he grumbles and his eyes thankfully become adjusted to the blinding light outside.

“Liam says you need to go outside for a while or else you will get sick, so come on, quick” Niall says and grabs Harry by the arm to help him up.

Harry stars to feel anxious, afraid of what he is going to see outside but follows Niall’s retreating figure. He feels the cold English air hit his face as soon as he steps out and almost smiles. He takes in his surroundings. They seem to be situated in the middle of nowhere but the harder Harry looks, he spots a city skyline in the distance. He wants to run towards it, to not feel so alone anymore. Niall is kicking some dirt around at the door of what looks like another bunker. Harry notices how little grass there is around them, no trees, nothing except dirt and stone.

“What happened to the trees?” he asks, noticing a stump a few feet to his right.

“The Infected thought they were food I suppose” Niall shrugs and clutches his stomach. “Speaking of food”

Harry then realises with a sharp pang to his stomach that he cannot remember the last time he ate and is hit with a sudden wave of hunger.

“Come on we get something in Liam and Zayn’s bunker, their shelves are way more loaded up than ours” Niall offers and heads off to another bunker sticking out of the dirt. Harry eyes the door that Niall was kicking dirt around with an uneasy feeling in his heart but follows Niall, ignoring anything his brain is trying to scream at him.

Niall lifts open the rusty bunker door and Harry almost cheers when he sees Zayn and Liam sitting together over a torch. They jump up and hug him tightly, clapping him on the back and talking over each other, telling him things that Harry does not even pay attention to. He is just so glad to see them safe. He ignores the gnawing feeling in his stomach when he thinks that Louis should be with them and sits down to a tin of tuna and peaches with the other boys.

**Day 7**

Warehouses are not a safe place to be during a zombie apocalypse Louis decides when, for the sixth time, he finds himself nesting in the rafters as a group of ravenous teenager’s storm in looking for food.

“I’d eat anything now, I’d even eat a human” one of them groans as they toss empty packets of food away in their search.

“Do not tempt me” another shouts out and they all laugh, finally realising that there is nothing here and leaving again.

Louis waits until he is certain they are well gone before he climbs back down to the ground. He removes the numerous cardboard boxes and reveals his new ‘abode’ as he likes to call it. He looks warily at the tiny amount of food he has left and settles down into his bubble-wrapped box for another restless night’s sleep.

He is about to drift off when he hears what he first thinks is a cat meowing outside. As he listens closer, he realises that it is in fact a girl crying. He sighs and hopes she will shut up soon as it is dark and she is likely to bring a hoard of Infected upon the warehouse. After a few minutes he can still hear the low sobs and grumbles angrily as he hops out of his box to go shut this girl up. He picks up the baseball bat he had plucked from dead body only days ago and slowly makes his way over to the door. He pokes his head out and checks that the coast is clear before flitting out and backing himself against the wall.

“Hello?” he hisses and hears the girl’s sobs grow quieter.

“Hello, answer me for fuck sake” he hisses again and hears a hiccup from behind a rock in front of him. He slowly walks over to it and looks around. His heart sinks when he sees a little girl of no more than six years of age clutching her knees and wiping away tears.

He wants to leave her there and almost does but she turns up to face him and he almost gasps when she meets his eyes.

_I hate my eyes Louis, they are too big and green and urgh, I wish I had your eyes._

“Are you ok?” he whispers and lowers his baseball bat which she is eyeing warily. She shakes her head and clutches what looks like a tiny bear in her hand, wiping her eyes with it. Louis goes down onto his knees and looks at her. She is wearing dungarees that Niall would love and under them a purple top, her blonde hair is in pigtails which Louis fights the urge to tug.

“What’s that then?” he asks, pointing at her hand. She clutches it even tighter and scowls at Louis.

“You’ll only make fun of me” she pouts and crosses her arms. Louis nearly laughs at the sight of this tiny girl and her tear stained face scowling at him.

“I won’t, I promise” he assures her and after a moment she unfolds her arms and unclenches her fist. In her palm is a tiny teddy bear, a blue one that has a fake smile and beady eyes.

“His name is Clyde” she announces and looks at Louis as if challenging him to say something.

“Hello Clyde” Louis says and the girl smiles and seems to relax more.

“And who are you little madam?” he asks.

The girl pauses and looks at Louis, judging him, trying to decide whether to trust him or not.

“Ellie”

“I’m Louis”

She is about to respond when there is a loud banging noise not too far from their location. Louis picks her up and thankfully she does not protest and he rushes inside the warehouse, not looking back once.

**Day 8**

Harry is with Liam in Liam and Zayn’s bunker whilst Niall and Zayn are out patrolling the area. Liam is fiddling with a radio, his tongue sticking out in concentration and a small spanner resting behind his ear. Harry regards him fondly and asks Liam if he needs help.

“I’m fine, I just to fix the wires and hopefully I will have it up and running soon” Liam mutters, not taking his eyes off the radio.

After a few moments silence Harry starts fidgeting with his hair.

“I am sure he is fine” Liam says quietly and Harry looks at him but Liam’s eyes are still on the radio.

“How can you be so sure?” Harry whispers, suddenly anxious for Liam’s wise words.

Liam stops fixing the radio and places his tool on the floor and grabs Harry’s hand out of his hair. He fixes his eyes on Harry’s and stares at him.

“I would feel it, we all would” he says and when Harry nods shortly, Liam releases him and returns to the radio. Harry does not touch his hair again and tries to catch some sleep.

He is roused from his sleep by the door suddenly banging open and Niall and Zayn thundering into the bunker. They are both short of breath and Niall is clutching his eye and moaning. Liam drops his tools and Harry sits up, pointing the torch at Niall.

“What happened?” Liam asks Zayn as he removes Niall’s hand from his eye. His eye has a scratch running from the end of his eyebrow to just under his bottom eyelid. There are beads of blood dripping down his cheek.

“We were about to return to the bunker when that random door in between our two bunkers opened and this guy just ran at us with a knife in his hand. He cut Niall before I grabbed him and ran. He is still out there” Zayn says having finally caught his breath. They all listen and hear footsteps above them.

Niall lets out a stifled moan as Liam presses down on the cut.

“Grab me that first aid kit” he barks at Harry who searches the shelf and spots the little green box. He hands it to Liam who rips it open and rifles through it. He finds an antiseptic wipe and a bandage and does his best to clean Niall up. After a while Niall has a bandage covering his left eye and looks oddly pleased with himself. “War wounds” he grins at Harry who snorts and kicks his foot.

The footsteps of his attacker have stopped sounding throughout the bunker and they are trying to decide what to do.

“I think we should kill him” Zayn replies for the seventh time.

“We get it Zayn and nobody is killing anyone today” Liam says and Zayn huffs in the corner.

“We should just let him die off, be more careful when we are outside, keep an eye on his door” Harry suggests and Liam nods his head.

“I also have another suggestion” Harry announces. They all look up at him. “I want to go find Louis”

There is a heavy silence in the bunker as the boys look at each other uneasily.

“What??” Harry snaps, suddenly feeling defensive.

“It is not a good idea Harry” Liam says quietly, avoiding Harry’s burning stare.

“And why not?” Harry asks.

“We have no idea what is out there, Louis is probably safe somewhere and we will find him when all this calms down” Liam answers.

Harry scoffs in disbelief.

“And what if he is trying to find us? How do you think he feels right now? We are just going to sit here like a bunch of fucking cowards?” Harry tries not to shout but fails.

They flinch at his words but remain quiet, refusing to meet Harry’s glare.

“Well I am going after him” he snaps and stands up. Liam stands up and blocks the way to the door.

“Please Harry, we will find him, just wait a couple of days, please” he almost begs, his eyes softening as Harry’s own fill with angry tears.

“Fine” Harry agrees and sits back down. They settle down for the night, none of them actually sleeping, every mind thinking about their missing friend.

**Day 9**

Harry wakes before the rest of them and sits up wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He listens for any noises outside and relaxes when he hears nothing. He stands up to go outside and hears Niall stir in his corner. He lifts his head and Harry fights back a smile at Niall’s bandaged eye.

“Where are you going?” he asks Harry in a low tone so as not to wake Liam or Zayn.

“Just over to our bunker, I’m sick of peaches and I know we have some beans in our one” Harry tells him and Niall nods, satisfied that Harry will be safe and nestles back down. Harry opens the door quietly and slips outside.

He tiptoes past the door Niall’s attacker might be resting in and lets out a breath when he makes it past safely. He throws open the door to his own bunker and jumps when a moth flies out. He slips inside but leaves the door open, sick of the constant suffocating darkness.

He opens a tin of beans and dives into it. He eyes the room and spots various items he could find useful. He hears Liam’s voice resonating in his head, begging him to wait a few more days to go find Louis. Harry’s fingers fidget around the tin and he stands up and looks out the door toward Zayn and Liam’s bunker. Fuck it.

_Fuck it for Chris is the saddest line in any TV show ever Harry and do not tell me I am wrong._

Fuck it.

Harry rushes around his bunker and grabs the empty bag lying on the ground and stuffs it with the remaining tins of food on the shelf. He spots a box of matches, a rope and a small knife and they join the food in his bag.

He fights his feelings of guilt as he leaves his bunker and shuts the door. Once again he tiptoes past the door and pauses outside Zayn and Liam’s bunker.

“Sorry” he whispers and tries not to think of their reactions when they realise he is gone. He faces the city in the distance and takes in a long breath and sets off.

~~

“So what you are saying is you hate me and want me to leave you here to die?” Louis spits out at Ellie who is standing her ground in his ‘abode’.

“Precisely” she snaps and turns her back on him. He raises his eyes to heaven dramatically and makes a face at her behind her back.

“Ellie, we have to leave, we have no more food and I can’t keep hiding in the rafters twice a day” he sighs.

“And how are we going to find food out there?” she turns around and points out the window, looking out with fear in her green eyes.

He shuffles uncomfortably and shrugs, meeting her glare with one of his own.

“Come on” he says and grabs his baseball bat and last tin of sweet corn. She looks around the warehouse and shivers before taking his hand and letting him lead her outside.

They walk down the deserted road in silence.

“We need to get off the road” Louis mutters, eying the turn in the road warily, gripping the baseball bat in his left hand and Ellie’s hand in his right. She nods her head but they have to continue down the road until they can duck off it and into the woods. They walk around the turn in the road without meeting any nasty surprises along the way.

“We are near the city” Ellie whispers, pointing at a nearby skyscraper. Louis looks at it and snorts.

“That is one place we will try and avid at all costs. The city will be crawling with the Infected.”

Ellie sighs and nods her head again and points suddenly at a wall at the side of the road. “Let’s climb over that then and find somewhere in the woods”

Louis walks over to the wall and looks over it, there is a small drop to the grass on the other side.

“Grass means water” he mutters to himself and gestures at Ellie to join him. He helps her onto the wall before hopping over it himself. He lifts her off it and down onto the grass.

“Let’s go” he winks at her and they set off in search for some water and hopefully some food.

~~

Harry has been walking for what he assumes has been most of the day when his stomach starts growling. He feels frustrated with the city skyline still far in the distance but sits down in the middle of the wasteland. He lifts out a tin of peas and eats them, gagging as the cold mush slides down his throat. Listening out for any sign of company he is satisfied to rest when he hears nothing.

After an hour of sleep Harry hears a rustling next to him. He covers his mouth with his hand before he shouts out of fright. He looks to his side and sees a small lizard next to him.

“A lizard in England, what the fuck?” he whispers and eyes it, slowly reaching in his bag for his knife. The lizard sits on a small stone, watching Harry as he moves toward it slowly. Harry feels suddenly guilty as he raises his hand but fights the feeling, craving some substantial food and jams the knife down into the lizard’s head. It lets out a small squeak and a spurt of blood leaks out onto Harry’s little finger. Harry closes his eyes until the lizard stops moving and tugs his knife back out when it is still. He gathers some dry wood and lights it with one of the matches and holds his arm over his nose as he cooks the lizard over the wood. It is growing dark and Harry is pretty sure the lizard is not properly cooked but he puts the fire out and eats the small amount of meat, pretending it is his Mum’s Sunday dinner.

He had asked Niall one of the nights about their families and Niall had shrugged and told him that before Paul left them, he had told Niall that their families were safe. Hoping Paul had been telling the truth; Harry clung to the idea that they are safe and put them at the back of his mind.

As the night falls dark, Harry huddles into himself and tries to sleep but wakes every half hour, paranoid and worried. He thinks about the boys back at the bunker and wishes to whoever can hear him that they remain safe.

**Day 10**

Louis is sitting on a mound of dirt, watching Ellie as she splashes around in the small river they had come across.

“Do you ever let go of that bat?” she calls over to him and Louis does not even notice that he has yet to let go of the weapon in his hand.

“Do you ever let go of Clyde?” he retorts and she smirks at him and he sees as she clenches her fist tight.

“Come on out now, this is not a safe place to stay” he calls and lets out a frustrated breath as she purposefully ignores him.

“Come on in Louis, it’s nice” she finally speaks and smiles over at him.

_Look at this smile Louis, how can you resist this smile? ….Ouch, that hurt._

Unwillingly, Louis drops his bat and walks to the water’s edge, scanning the shore line on each side before wading in to Ellie.

“Your dungarees are all wet” he points out where she was unable to roll them up high enough.

“My dungarees are the least of my worries right now” she says and he snorts before kicking water at her.

They end up splashing around in the water for an hour, forgetting about the shadow of worry around them for just one moment. Louis impresses both himself and Ellie when he catches a fish in his hand but after minutes of begging and crying Ellie convinces him to let it go.

“That would have been a lovely supper” Louis groans and splashes his face with water.

“Stop moaning will-“ Ellie stops short and Louis raises his head and sees her wide eyes looking behind him into the wood. The skin on the back of his neck raises and he turns around slowly. Thick black smoke is rising in a twisting pattern from the centre of the wood and there are shouts coming closer and closer towards them.

“The trees are on fire” Ellie whispers.

“Fuck the trees, there are people in there” Louis says and rushes out of the water and grabs his bat before bending down. “Get on my back, right now” he says and Ellie runs out of the water before hopping up on Louis’ back.

“Oi!” he hears someone shout behind him. Not knowing if it is directed at them or not, he puts the bat in Ellie’s hand before clutching onto her legs and sprinting at full speed towards the city. They make it to the edge of the wood but Louis does not stop running.

“WAIT!” Ellie screams in his ear and he stops out of shock.

“What?” he snaps and Ellie wriggles free from his grip and jumps off his back.

“I dropped Clyde!” she says, her face drained of its entire colour and she runs back towards the smoking wood.

“For fuck sake, forget Clyde” he shouts before running after her and grabbing her arm.

“NO” she shouts, her eyes filling with tears and she rips her arm from his grip. “Clyde is all I have!” she shouts before turning on her heel.

“You have me!” he says desperately trying to get her to forget the fucking teddy. She stops and looks at Louis.

“I mean from my family” she shouts, audibly fighting back the lump in her throat.

Louis can hear the people in the distance and shouts every curse word he knows in his head before ducking down to Ellie’s level.

“Where did you drop him?”

“Just after we started running, he is probably beside the last tree we ran past” she says, her large green eyes gleaming hopefully.

“Hide behind that rock and do not make a single sound, if you are not here when I get back I will kill you” he says, guiding her towards a rock beside the river. She touches his cheek before running over and ducking behind the rock. Louis curses again, this time out loud, before turning back.

He remains bent over but runs back, watching out for places where his feet marked the ground. He gulps nervously as he hears the voices grow closer and the smell of smoke fills his nostrils.

“Fucking Clyde where are you, you asshole” he mutters and nearly does a somersault when he spots a flicker of blue in his peripheral vision. He rushes over and sees Clyde smiling up at him from a spot in the ground under a tall fir tree.

He picks him up and pockets him, breathing out a sigh of relief. He is about to run back toward Ellie when he hears a rustle of leaves behind him. He ducks behind the tree Clyde was sitting under.

“I can smell something” he hears a familiar voice say. He pokes his head around the trunk of the tree and sees the teenagers from the warehouse jogging along the riverbank.

“Meat” another grins and they jog past Louis in his hiding place and up towards Ellie. Louis clutches his bat and glances around him, making sure the three teenagers are the only people out here. He follows them silently, trying to stay as hidden as possible.

He starts to tremble as they grow closer to the rock Ellie is behind.

“What do we have here then?” he hears one of them say smugly as they gather around the rock.

“Fuck” Louis hisses and runs up behind them, at least ten foot away.

“Hey!” he shouts and immediately regrets it when he notices that they are actually gathering around a small mouse just in front of the rock.

The teenagers turn rapidly and look shocked to see Louis standing there. The main teenager beams at his friends and clenches his fists. He starts to run towards Louis, a bloodthirsty glint in his eye. Louis braces himself and his palms start to sweat as he grips the bat, licking his lips but not moving an inch.

_Move Louis or I will run you over with this golf cart. Move Louis…Louis I am not joking….LOUIS MOVE_

//


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> italics are flashbacks!

**Day 10**

The city is not too far away from Harry. He has not stopped for food in a long time and he has been out of water since the night before. He finally reaches his exhaustion point and stops a mile or two outside the city, a road bridge leading into the skyscrapers looming overhead. He feels too out in the open but realises he will have to get used to that now in his new haven.

He slides a finger over his lips and feels some dry skin peel off. He gazes up at the sun rising high in the sky and feels beads of sweat trickle down his back. He scans the ground for even a puddle to drink out of. He finds nothing and reaches inside his bag. He takes out his last can of peaches and opens it, drinking the juice and letting the peaches slide down his throat without chewing them. He fights the urge to vomit and the sudden hydration makes him feel much better.

He stands up in order to walk across the road and make his way up to the bridge. He hears no sounds which makes him feel uneasy what with being so close to a city. His mind wanders as he walks and he thinks about his friends, what are they doing now, what he wants them to be doing now and walks on with a small hopeful smile on his face.

~~

Niall is pacing the land dying to scratch his eye behind the bandage but resisting, knowing he will only infect the cut.

“Niall!” he hears Zayn call from the bunker and he rushes over. The radio is crackling, the sound of static filling the usually quiet air. Liam looks up at them, a large smile spreading across his face. Zayn and Niall hold their breath as they watch Liam turn the buttons, waiting for anything to come across the sound waves. The static catches every few minutes and they startle, thinking it is a voice coming to them.

“Fucking hell” Zayn grumbles after a few hours, all of their heads sore from the sound of the unresponsive radio.

“Sorry guys” Liam says and switches the radio off, lying down on the hard ground and kicking his legs in frustration.

They sit in silence, something they have been doing more frequently since Harry left. All of them worrying, all of them waiting to leave this confined space themselves.

~~

Ellie is crouched over, her hands covering her ears, terrified and shaking. She hears Louis shout “HEY” and peers over the rock only to see the larger teen run toward him. Louis is standing his ground, his bat in hand, looking just as small as she feels.

She watches as the teenager reaches Louis and hears a loud crack fill the air as Louis’ bat swings around and hits the teenager across his skull. She winces as he falls to the floor and watches as Louis stares with an open mouth at the blood spilling out onto the grass. She can tell he is trying to remain calm and brave but notices the little twitch in his hands, the way he bites the corner of his lip.

“You arsehole” the female teenager screams and runs at Louis, a large stick in her hand. When she reaches him she swings her stick in the air and Louis dodges it, clearly not wanting to hit the girl.

The remaining teenager rushes to join his friend and Ellie panics as she watches the two of them circle Louis. He is trying his best to hit the male teen but he is small and dodges each swing swiftly, taunting Louis by sneering at him whilst the girl repeatedly hits him with the stick.

Ellie’s temper flares and she scans the ground around her. She spots a fairly large rock and picks it up. She takes aim and flings the rock in the air, feeling sickly satisfied as it hits the girl square on the nose. She falls to the ground and the male teenager turns around in shock to face Ellie. Louis takes this opportunity and whacks him on the back of the head, he spits out a mouthful of blood before falling to his knees beside his friends.

Ellie and Louis are both frozen to the spot. After a few seconds they both look at each other and rush across the grass, Louis picking Ellie up and squeezing her.

“Let’s get the heck out of here” she says and Louis tells her not to curse before they both turn and run towards the city.

**Day 11**

Harry has now reached the outer ring of the city. If he felt uneasy by the silence before he got here, he can’t begin to decipher his feelings on the sudden noise that now reverberates throughout the concrete jungle.

He keeps his eyes and ears open as he ducks past blown out cars and buses on the road, he tiptoes past sleeping dogs, not sure if they are also infected or not.

He can hear babies crying, women screaming and men roaring. He listens in vain for Louis’ voice but gives up as he moves further into the city.

It is growing dark and he is in what he assumes was an already dodgy area. His fear levels are at an all-time high and he can hear his own heart and his own short breaths as he dives into black doorways, hoping to keep out of trouble.

“Pssst” he hears and stays as still as he can. “Psssst”

He looks up at the nearest window and sees a boy around his age peering out at him. The boy waves at Harry to join him. Unwilling to trust, Harry shrugs at the boy before ducking back under the doorway. He hears an angry curse word from above him and moments later the door he is standing against opens and Harry nearly falls in. Startled, he takes several steps back and faces the young boy who is waiting impatiently for Harry to come in.

“I don’t have all day and if you stay out here you are going to be eaten alive” the boy snaps and Harry looks over his shoulder and hears a faint cry in the distance. He gulps and steps forward into the doorway.

The house is as dreary as the bunker he was confined in, it looks dilapidated, wood being eaten away by mould and the damp Harry can smell in the air.

“What are you doing hiding in my doorway anyway?” the boy asks as he leads Harry up the very unstable staircase.

Harry remains silent trying to listen out for any sign of danger. He takes in the boy’s size and shape. He is very small, about a foot smaller than Harry but Harry can see the outline of muscle on the boy’s arms under his long sleeved top.

_I may appear to be skinny but check these abs out; I can take you out anytime, anyplace go ahead and try me. Ouch Harry, that hurt._

“I’m looking for a friend of mine” Harry finally speaks up. 

“A fellow band mate?” the boy asks and Harry groans internally as he realises that the boy must know who he is. The boy turns to look at Harry and grins at him. Harry nods his head and the boy asks which one.

“Louis” Harry says and feels his stomach drop having said his name out loud.

“Stripes?” the boy asks with a raised eyebrow. Harry nods his head again, his mouth feeling drier by the second.

“I have not seen him around, sorry mate” the boy says and shoots Harry an apologetic look. Harry waves him off and joins him in what looks like an abandoned bedroom.

“The name is Chris by the way” the boy introduces himself but does not hold out a hand for Harry to shake. He keeps them stuffed in his pockets.

“I would introduce myself but I think you already know me” Harry jokes and accepts a glass of water from Chris.

“Well my sister absolutely loves- loved you” the boy says, falling silent toward the end of his sentence. Harry reaches out to squeeze his shoulder but Chris flinches away and jumps over to the window to look out. Harry feels confused by Chris' behaviour but joins him and looks out on the night.

“What do they look like? The Infected?” he asks Chris, staring out at the empty streets below him.

“They almost look normal, just more haggard than us. Some of them have red eyes, some froth at the mouth. It is not hard to spot them really; you just have to be careful” Chris whispers and points at a corner not too far from the house.

“There” he nudges Harry and Harry squints out. He sees a woman probably around Harry’s Mum’s age rooting through a forgotten bin. She stops every few seconds to sniff the air and lets out short squeaks. Harry feels his stomach twisting with pity as she crawls around the litter, trying to find any food. The pitiful feelings stop however when he watches as the woman spots something in a shadowy doorway, just like the one Harry had been hiding in. A young girl runs out, screaming for help as the woman chases her, drool falling heavily from her hungry mouth.

“Can’t we help her?” Harry asks, watching as the girl nearly falls in her effort to escape the infected woman. Chris shakes his head solemnly and they walk away from the window when the girl’s screams are cut short by a vicious hand gripping her throat.

Harry swallows the feeling of nausea and sits down on the edge of Chris’s bed.

“You look like you need some sleep. Why don’t you catch a few hours, I’ll keep watch” Chris offers. Harry doesn’t want to take up his offer but his eyelids are drooping and his head is thumping. He smiles gratefully at Chris and lies down on the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

**Day 12**

Unfortunately for Zayn and Liam, Niall has found a small bouncing ball somewhere along his patrolling. After the ball hits the wall for what feels like the millionth time, Zayn reaches his hand out in front of Niall’s and catches it.

“Enough” he snaps and Niall does not even try to get it back. “I’m leaving” Zayn says and stands up, looking down at Liam who is fiddling with the radio, ignoring the two of them. “I _said_ I am leaving” Zayn announces even louder. Liam does not look up and Niall sniggers as we watches Zayn’s expression turn stormy.

Zayn moves towards the door, louder than necessary and when he flings it open he looks back at the two of them. Niall raises his eyebrows, doubting Zayn is actually going to leave and Liam blocks his eyes from the light but remains focused on the radio. Zayn lets out a frustrated grumble.

“Zayn for God sake, if you are leaving leave, stop making a big deal” Liam mutters, and taps the side of the radio with his hand. Zayn looks at Niall with a shocked expression and Niall looks at Liam with the same expression on his face. Liam finally looks up at the two of them and stands up. He crosses the floor until he is standing inches from Zayn.

“I know you are not actually going to leave, you’re impatient- we all are, as soon as I try and get a signal on this damn radio we will go find them ok?”

Zayn’s eyes scan Liam’s face and his expression remains neutral. They stand like that until Niall coughs uncomfortably. They look away from each other, embarrassed and Liam’s head snaps over to the radio when a sudden noise emits from the constant stream of static. He runs over and holds it in his hands and raises it to his ear. His eyes shine brightly and he turns the volume up so the others can hear.

“If anyone can hear this, there is a city-wide evacuation in two days. There is a walled site in the centre of the city, we will be evacuating any non-infected citizens for half an hour only, I repeat half an hour only. The evacuation begins at 2pm precisely, ending at half two. We hope to see you there” the message crackles over the radio. It starts to play on repeat and they hear it numerous times before Liam switches the radio off.

The three of them share a glance.

“Harry and Louis” Zayn mutters before the three of them rush around the bunker, gathering as much provisions as they can.

~~

Louis and Ellie are under a mound of discarded boxes somewhere on the edge of the city. Louis can no longer lift Ellie, the ribs on his left side severely bruised and his arm sore from the sharp hits of the stick he had received.

“You are such a baby” Ellie mumbles as she ties the brace from her dungarees around Louis’ neck as a make-shift sling for his arm. He is wincing and acting as dramatically as possible.

“I’m only trying to make you laugh” he says through gritted teeth. She raises her eyes and pokes him in the ribs, making him yell with pain.

“Get some sleep” he tells her as she yawns widely. She rests her head against Louis right side and snuggles down, falling asleep almost straight away. He looks at her and tries to get her to stop cuddling so close into him but no matter what he does, she finds a way. He curses and fights the sleep but eventually caves in and rests his head atop of hers and they sleep throughout the night.

**Day 13**

Harry wakes up and Chris is resting his head on the windowsill, snoring lightly.

“Oi” he whispers and Chris stirs, glancing over at Harry with a tired smile.

“Sleep well?” he asks, stretching his arms above his head letting out a tremendous yawn.

“Yeah actually, I didn’t think I would but all that walking must have worn me out” Harry replies, looking around the room for something to eat. Chris seems to know what Harry is looking for and throws over a packet of biscuits. Harry rips the packet open and tried to fit five in his mouth at the same time. Chris laughs and catches a biscuit Harry throws his way.

As they sit in silence Chris starts to scratch fervently at his hands. Harry watches him, concern creeping into his eyes. Before Harry can open his mouth to ask Chris if he is OK, there is a disturbance downstairs. They hear the front door fly open and bang against the dilapidated wall. Chris hops off the windowsill and Harry off the bed. Chris reaches under the bed and pulls out a shotgun.

“Holy shit” Harry blurts out, eyeing the weapon nervously. Chris’s worried expression twists into a slight smile and he winks at Harry before lifting the gun and hovering his index finger over the trigger. Harry holds in a breath as he hears a dull thudding sound inching closer to the room they are stationed in.

The door bursts open and what Harry assumes is an Infected looks at them momentarily before letting out a loud shriek and lunging towards Chris. It is an elderly man, grey hair visible through the clumps of blood all over the man’s face and skull, his teeth have shreds of meat in between each incisor and his fingernails are longer than any Harry has ever seen before in his life.

Chris does not hesitate before pulling the trigger, blasting the man’s brains out the back of his skull, decorating the door with a stark, bloody design. Harry gasps as a speck of blood lands on his hand which he wipes off hurriedly, afraid he will somehow contract the disease. Chris is breathing heavily and lowers his gun, glancing at Harry to make sure he is ok.

“Close one” he laughs and plonks down on the bed, hands shaking, making the odd parts inside the gun tinkle. Harry can’t reply, feeling horrified at what he just witnessed

“Harry, you have to get out of here, go find Louis and the others” Chris says, placing his gun down on the ground and leaning back on his elbows. He glances down at the corpse lying by the door with a grimace, that will take a long time to clean up

“Well let’s go then” Harry makes towards the door eagerly but Chris remains on his perch on the bed.

“I’m just going to wait here for a while” Chris mutters and scratches his neck vigorously.

“I’m not just going to leave you here” Harry tells him and waits for Chris to get off the bed and join him.

“Harry I- I was scratched by one of them a few days ago, I don’t think I am safe” Chris confesses and lifts his t-shirt, revealing a large scrape from his armpit to his hipbone which is jutting out from above his trousers. Harry gapes at it, the scrape turning a putrid yellow colour and oozing pus. Chris drops the fabric over the scrape, avoiding Harry’s worried gaze.

“Chris I am sure we can find something to help, we just-“

Chris waves his hand abruptly, cutting Harry short. “Please just…just go. Your friends need you more than I do. I might change, I might…I might try and kill you” Chris swallows past a lump in his throat and hands Harry the shotgun. His eyes read more than he can probably say. Harry just nods at him and tries to convey his gratitude and fondness for his new friend through his own eyes. Harry makes for the door and hears Chris let out a small sigh and Harry prays for his safety before rushing out the open door.

~~

“Louis wake up” Ellie is whispering, shaking Louis’s arm, stirring him from his restless sleep.

“What is it?” he shoots up, grasping for his bat, on high alert.

“Nothing, I just think we should get a move on” she says, peering over their shelter for any sign of life. Louis winces as his left shoulder twinges with sharp pain. He slaps himself across the face in an effort to spring to life but ends up hurting himself and giggling helplessly with the amused child.

He nudges her to move and they spring silently out from the boxes, sticking close to the walls of the buildings looming high overhead. They are passing by an abandoned shop when they hear a voice crackling out of the smashed window. They freeze and listen and hear a man’s voice calling for attention.

“It’s a radio” Ellie gasps and rushes inside the dark shop. “Ellie!” Louis snaps and runs after her, panic rising in his throat. The shop is thankfully empty and there is a radio perched on the counter, the noise an eerie change from the never ending silence of this isolated part of the city.

“If anyone can hear this, there is city-wide evacuation tomorrow. There is a walled site in the centre of the city, we will be evacuating any non-infected citizens for half an hour only, I repeat half an hour only. The evacuation begins at 2pm precisely, ending at half two. We hope to see you there”

Ellie and Louis stare at each other with excited grins on their faces and they duck out of the shop. Ellie stops to pet a stray cat but Louis drags her away, unsure if it is infected or not and unwilling to take the risk. He can’t stop the hopeful feeling creeping on his skin. What if Harry and the others are there, waiting for him? He grins to himself when he thinks of them standing around, play fighting and turning to face him moaning about how late he was.

“What are you thinking about?” Ellie asks, noticing the sudden change. Louis weighs out the pros and cons of telling Ellie anything about himself. He ignores any con for now and starts telling her all about his friends, from the day they met until the day they were separated.

“I think you fancy Harry” she states when he is done and they are huddled against a petrol pump at a blown out gas station.

Louis splutters and stares at her. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me” she says and walks off, whistling a merry tune with a cheeky smile on her face. Louis feels his heart racing and tries to fight off the urge to both laugh and cry.

_Louis, your boner for Harry is showing again. You know, you really should either tell him or just surprise him one day by shoving your- ok, ok I’ll shut up now._

“I’m going to punch you” he calls after Ellie who squeals and runs away from him.

~~

Zayn, Liam and Niall are gathered under the same bridge Harry had been only days ago. All three of them are dehydrated and Niall has not stopped complaining about his hunger pains since the day before. Liam is observing the bridge and the city in the distance in silence. The furrow in his brow implies that he is coming up with a plan.

Niall is about to open his mouth to grumble again when Zayn abruptly clamps a hand over his lips. Niall’s eyes flash with confusion when he takes in Zayn’s worried expression. Zayn cups his free hand around his ear, listening for something Niall cannot hear. He suddenly drags Niall behind an abandoned blown-out washing machine and they watch as Liam notices their sudden absence and ducks behind a pillar holding the bridge up.

They sit in suspenseful silence when suddenly two people round the corner. They are dragging something between the two of them.

“This will keep us going for at least a week, maybe even two” they hear a female voice cackle. Niall pops his head over the washing machine to get a good look. Zayn drags him back down and Niall falls against the washing machine on his way, knocking it over on his side, completely revealing him and Zayn to the passing strangers.

They both freeze and look towards the two passers-by who whip around to the sound of the washing machine falling over. Liam’s head edges out from behind his pillar and he groans inwardly at the sight of his two crouching friends staring at the two strangers. He looks at their bags on the ground under the bridge and calculates the distance he is from them and the speed he will need to retrieve them before the two people notice.

“Hello” Niall says cheerfully, hoping these two people will be just as enthusiastic as he is.

The two glance at each other and share a wicked smile before dropping what Zayn realises is a dead body and making their way over to the two of them. Zayn grabs Niall by the collar of his once white but now brown t-shirt and hauls him up off the ground. He steps in front of Niall, protecting him from the dangerous cannibals.

“Back off” he snarls at the strangers who only laugh cruelly at him and Niall.

Liam takes this opportunity to sneak over to their bags and rifles through as quickly but as silently as he can. He spots the crowbar Harry had left behind but shakes the idea of impaling another human and throws it back in the bag. He fights his panic as he sees the two people move closer to Zayn and Niall.

“I said back off” Zayn repeats, pushing Niall further back and standing his ground, trying to assert as much authority as he can.

They laugh again and the male of the two grasps Zayn’s hair and flings him to the ground, leaving Niall completely at mercy to them both.

Liam looks up at the sound of Zayn’s shout and watches as he is thrown to the ground by the man. He forgets any morals he was once clinging onto and thrusts his hand inside the bag and withdraws the crowbar.

“Ha, nice strength you have there” Niall stutters, backing away from the man who is rounding on Niall with a vicious look in his eyes. The female stands over Zayn, keeping her foot pressed onto his cheek, driving him further into the dirt. The man grabs Niall by the throat and throws him down onto the washing machine, holding him down and laughing as Niall tries to struggle out of his grip.

“Struggling will only make it worse” the female whoops, watching with malicious glee as Niall’s face turns a bright red colour and stamps on Zayn who is trying his best to get away from her and help his friend.

There is a sudden roar and Niall’s eyes spring open when a sudden spurt of blood from the man’s mouth lands in his face, his hands releasing their tight grip from around his throat. He slumps forward and lands on Niall, revealing Liam standing over the two of them a crowbar raised high above his head and a terrified look in his eyes. Niall shudders and although his vision is growing blurry, he flings the man off of him and tries to sit up. The woman standing on Zayn screams in anger and runs towards Liam, clearly intent on hurting him. Liam stands frozen to the spot, his arms shaking violently as he watches the woman come toward him. Zayn springs off the ground and chases her, tackling her to the ground before she can reach Liam.

“Get off me!” she screams repeatedly and Zayn holds her to the ground, barking at Liam and Niall to run. They don’t argue and sprint away, up towards the bridge, Niall clutching his neck, struggling to breathe. The sit down on the deserted road on top of the bridge and catch their breath. They hear a sharp screech and moments later Zayn appears with a dark look on his face. He rushes over to Niall and reaches out to touch his neck, but Niall flinches out of his grip and rubs his bruised skin, panting slightly. Zayn then turns to Liam who is staring at his own blood covered hands, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Zayn sighs and flops down beside them and they remain in a horrified silence until the night falls.

~~

As the sky darkens, Ellie and Louis are doing their best to find a safe place to hide and also find the evacuation sight. They are failing miserably at both and Louis feels a pang of guilt as he watches Ellie struggle to walk, her legs tired and her eyes heavy.

“I’m sorry I can’t carry you” he murmurs, inspecting his nails when she turns to look at him.

“Don’t be silly” she replies and stops outside a wire fence on a dark street. “Why don’t we stop here for a while and catch some sleep?” she offers, glancing around and looking back at Louis who is biting his lip uncertainly. He takes in her appearance and tries to picture what he himself looks like and nods his head. They lie against the fence and Louis allows her to lie against his right side until she falls asleep. He fights it as long as he can but soon Louis succumbs to slumber.

~~

Harry is creeping around the dark streets of the city, his thoughts creating the noise absent from the area. He can’t stop thinking about his friends, his family, Chris and most of all Louis. Where are they all? Are they safe? He can’t stop, no matter how hard he tries, they are all he can see and hear.

_You’re always worrying Haz, stop worrying about me, I should be the one worrying about you, I am your elder you know_

“Shut up Louis” Harry hears himself say out loud and stops in his tracks as he rounds a corner leading into a dimly lit alley. There is a figure lying on the ground by a fence. As he squints his eyes in an effort to see if they are dangerous or not, he sees another person tucked in by their side. Harry is about to tiptoe past until he sees a familiar flick of hair, poking out against the fence.

“No” he whispers, shock surging through his veins. He dares to smile, the widest smile he has felt since this whole thing started. He starts to jog towards the sleeping figures when he feels a sharp pain in his right leg. He lets out a cry as he trips to the ground.

~~

Louis jumps from his sleep when he hears a shout in the street where he and Ellie are lying. He looks over and sees a person lying on the ground and what he fears is an Infected standing not too far from them, looking upon the fallen person with hunger. Louis shakes Ellie lightly and she opens her eyes and Louis presses a finger to her lips. He picks her up, forgetting about the pain in his arm and goes to sneak in the opposite direction to the other people. He is nearly out of their sight when he hears a strangled voice call out into the dark.

“Louis!”

Louis freezes, almost dropping Ellie and turns around. The boy on the ground has lifted his head and Louis almost cheers and cries simultaneously when he notices the familiar mop of curls in silhouette. His happiness is cut short when he remembers the other figure, standing near Harry, waiting to make its move.

“Wait here” he says to Ellie, placing her back down on the ground and grabbing his bat. She nods her head, not sure who the other person is but recognising Louis’ need to help him.

“Louis!” Harry calls again, spitting out water from the puddle he had landed in. He laughs and clambers onto his knees as he watches Louis run towards him, wanting nothing more than to reach up and pull Louis down into him. He feels a heavy weight on top of his back and stops laughing, hearing Louis shout out in panic and a loud cracking sound before he falls once more onto the grimy street.  
//


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 14**

It was 10 am and if they had not already been awake, Zayn would be complaining about the early morning wake-up call Liam had just given them. Quietly they all rise from their hidden spot on the bridge and look towards the city nervously. Zayn nudges Niall with his foot and asks him if he is ok, pointing at the large bruises dancing across Niall’s pale neck. Niall visibly swallows and nods his head, avoiding his friend’s concerned looks and smiles as brightly as he can.

“Let’s get going” he says, his voice coming out in a strangled whisper. Zayn returns his grin but Liam keeps his head down, frowning at the stones on the road as they walk.

“What’s up?” Zayn asks Liam, leaning in casually to rub shoulders, something that came naturally to the two of them. However, Liam cowers away and ignores Zayn’s question, walking further ahead of the two guys. Niall and Zayn share a glance before following behind him in silence.

~~

Harry opens his eyes and has to shield them from the sudden bright light that makes his eyes well up. He can’t hear a single thing, there is a shrill ringing in his ear and he feels like he is standing at the bottom of a deep swimming pool. He thinks he can feel something trickling down his face, maybe sweat, maybe blood, he doesn’t know. He calls out but cannot even hear himself, he feels the panic rising like a tidal wave in his chest and he tries to take in large gulps of air to calm himself down.

He feels a warm hand brush his damp curls out of his eyes and a sudden shadow is blocking his view of the sun. When he looks up he feels his heart begin to race, the one face he had been searching for for two weeks, two long tiresome weeks was right there. Right in front of him as if it had never been gone.

Louis is inches away from him, his usually icy blue eyes full of such warmth and joy that Harry has to hold himself back from just breaking down right there and then. He watches as Louis’ thin lips move, forming words Harry cannot hear. He is smiling, softly rubbing the hair at the crown of Harry’s head but as Harry searches his face in order to try and hear what he is saying, Louis’ happy expression changes to one of confusion.

“Can you hear me Harry?” Louis asks, clicking his finger right beside Harry’s left ear and Harry does not respond he just stares at him with a mixture of panic and…adoration? Louis pushes that to the back of his brain and calls Ellie over who is standing over the Infected body lying inches away from them. She jogs over and Louis ignores the way she quickly brushes a tear from her eye.

“Hold his head” he tells her and when she holds him, he looks at Harry’s ears. Blood and dirt fill the left one almost completely and the right one has blood running from Harry’s head right into the ear canal, blocking it entirely. Harry begins shouting “I can’t hear a thing Lou” over and over until Louis finally asks Ellie to also hold a hand over Harry’s mouth before he draws unwanted attention.

“Shit” he hisses, and searches Harry’s scalp to find a small cut on the crown of his head. He inspects it and Ellie compares him to a Chimp, checking its young for knits. Louis snorts and grimaces when he realises it was him who cut Harry’s head. 

The night before when Louis watched as Harry was attacked by an Infected, Louis had lost all sense of control he had been trying to hang on to. He ran over and bashed the Infected man’s head right in with his bat; he didn’t stop until it was nothing but pulp. He had scared both himself and Ellie; he had heard her screaming at him to stop but he couldn’t. He was not going to be moments away from being reunited with the one person he had not stopped thinking about and have it snatched away from him again just like that. He must have caught Harry’s head when he first hit the Infected.

“I hit him by accident” Louis murmurs, ripping a torn piece of fabric from his badly shredded t-shirt and tries his best to clean Harry’s cut. He uses it to clear Harry’s ears out, taking special care not to hurt him, the guilt weighing him down like a ton of bricks and he swallows past a hard lump in his throat.

“Louis, its ok, he will be fine” Ellie whispers, taking in Louis devastated appearance. Louis nods and continues cleaning Harry up until he is certain there is not a grain of dirt or speck of blood on him. He removes Ellie’s hand from Harry’s mouth and glances down at the younger boy, a glimmer of hope shimmering in his green eyes.

“Can you hear me?” he says but his voice comes out in a meek whisper, afraid of his life that he has caused Harry to become deaf.

“Need a cough drop Tomlinson?” Harry grins at him and Louis’ eyes widen before he lets out a sharp laugh. Louis avoids Harry’s gaze, the guilty feeling in his stomach replaced with something foreign- a giddy feeling almost.

“Oi” Harry says, his soft voice sending shivers down Louis’ spine. He lifts a dirty hand to cup Louis’ chin and runs a thumb softly down the side of his jaw. “I’ve been looking for you” he tells Louis, his mouth tuning up into a small smile which Louis can’t help but reciprocate.

“Well you found me” Louis laughs and he licks his lips, suddenly nervous under Harry’s gaze and grip.

“I did” Harry mutters and does not take his eyes off Louis’, having been thinking of them for so long now, he wants to never forget the way they are looking at him now. He doesn’t think about what he does next, he just acts on impulse and he pulls Louis’ face towards his and plants a soft but needy kiss on Louis’ dry lips.

Louis is so startled he almost pulls away but the sudden rush of adrenaline surging through his veins at the contact only makes him move closer towards Harry. He realises that this is what he has been waiting for since before he can remember; to feel Harry’s lips against his. His gentle hands roaming through his hair, to feel his warm breath dance across his skin. He feels Harry smile against him and he pulls away, looking up at Louis with a faint sign of a blush on his cheeks.

“Gross” Ellie snorts but is smiling wickedly at Louis and waggling her eyebrows at him.

Harry looks at her as if he was only noticing her now and frowns.

“This is Ellie” Louis announces before Harry asks and notices that his arms are still wrapped around Harry’s torso. He slides them away and stands up, glancing at his watch. He wants nothing more than to just take Harry home right now but it is coming up to noon and they have less than two hours to find the evacuation sight.

“Wait, where are the others?” Louis asks, suddenly thinking about his friends. Harry looks up to the sky and lets out a heavy sigh. “I snuck off on them…I um, I don’t really know where they are” he gulps, inspecting his nails with interest. Louis decides to push his surge of anxiety for his friends and informs him of the evacuation and Harry panics.

“What if they don’t know, what if they are still in that godforsaken wasteland, we can’t leave them Louis, this is all my fault” he breaks at the end, hot tears spilling down his face. Louis bends down again and this time he cups Harrys face in his.

“They will be there, I am sure of it” he mutters and Harry’s worried eyes soften slightly, having always trusted Louis more than anyone else, he takes his word for it.

“Let’s get a move on” Ellie announces glancing around the alley worriedly.

Louis holds out his hand and helps Harry up off the ground, he limps slightly as they being to move, having been hit with a sharp rock on his right leg by the Infected. Louis throws an arm around him and another around Ellie and they make their way out of the dark street.

~~

“Its half twelve” Niall announces as they round another corner in the city, loud noises enveloping them.

“Well let’s hurry then” Zayn says, leading the way through the streets, hoping to get to the evacuation site as quickly and as safely as possible.

They hear a shrill shriek behind them and they whip around to find an Infected woman standing with her fists clenched by her side, closer to Liam than any of them. He remains rooted to the spot as she makes her way over to him. “Run Liam” Niall shouts, starting to run himself. Liam won’t budge; he is transfixed on the woman who is now inches away from him, dark red blood tainting every part of her skin.

“Fuck” Zayn huffs out and runs over to pull Liam away. He kicks the woman in the chest for good measure, knocking her to the ground so they get a head start and he and Niall both help Liam to run away.

“What the hell Liam?” Zayn asks, hands on his knees and struggling for breath when they finally stop running. Liam just remains quiet as he catches his own breath. “Liam!” Zayn barks, stepping closer to Liam, taking in his blank expression. Liam’s eyes snap up to finally meet Zayn’s. “I’m not killing anything ever again” Liam whispers and pushes past Zayn to the other side of the street.

Niall looks baffled and Zayn just shrugs but keeps a closer eye on Liam when they make their way further into the city.

~~

“We need to find a radio or something, they ,might tell us where it is” Harry suggests as Louis lets out a long string of curse words in anger and makes sure Ellie has her hands held tightly over her ears as he does so.

“Good idea” Louis says and they go on in silence, Louis glancing at his watch, panicking as the big hand reaches twelve. They have an hour left.

They are about to turn left off a large street and onto another one when a large red flare explodes in the sky, not far from them. They watch it rise to a massive height and drop again until it fades into the cold air.

“Do you reckon-“

“We might as well give it a shot” Louis interrupts Harry, thinking the exact same thing. He lets Ellie clamber up on his back and Harry, his leg feeling stronger, grabs his bat for him and the three of them make their way towards where the flare had gone off.

~~

A loud bang startles the three guys and they watch as a red flare shoots up into the sky, about a mile away from their location.

“That’s the evacuation site, I just know it” Niall says, spluttering and clutching his throat. Zayn rubs his back softly before considering what Niall said. He turns to Liam for advice but Liam remains silent. “OK then, yeah lets go” Zayn agrees and they set off in the direction of the flare.

~~

Ellie asks to be put down, grumbling on and on about her self-confidence before Louis finally relents and places her down on the ground. “Right, now you have to shut up before I leave you here” Louis snaps as she brushes herself down haughtily. “Yeah right” she snorts and Harry laughs, watching the two of them with a large smile.

“What do you look so happy for?!” Louis asks. Harry just shakes his head and wraps his arms around Louis’ shoulders. “Get off me you sod” Louis snorts, trying to shrug Harry off him but laughs at the same time.

“Guys”

Harry starts shoving Louis around, the two of them giggling like a pair of idiots.

“GUYS”

They turn around and Ellie is frowning, hand cupped behind her ear, listening out for something the two of them can’t hear. She holds her finger up to her lips and Harry and Louis walk up behind her and listen. In the near distance they can hear screaming and loud noises.

“Remind you of anything?” Harry comments with a sad smile on his face. Louis thinks of the countless times he has heard screaming, often right in his ear but never feeling this unsettled because of it.

“Come on, it is getting dangerous now” Louis says, gripping onto Ellie’s hand who holds onto him tightly. They creep along the streets, subconsciously holding their breaths and failing to blink as often as they should. As they inch closer to what they hope is the site, the screaming only gets louder and the general panicked atmosphere is becoming denser.

“I feel sick” Ellie whispers, her hand shaking violently in Louis’. He shakes it softly “You’ll be alright love, you’ve got me”

“And now you’ve got me too” Harry winks over at her, smiling in order to make her feel less scared. She beams at the two of them and loosens her grip on Louis’s hand, feeling more at ease with them both protecting her.

They are walking down an extremely long street cautiously when they hear the screams erupting from an alley behind them.

“Just walk ahead slowly, don’t draw any sort of attention” Louis whispers when they all freeze momentarily in fright. They take small, quiet steps towards the site when there is a sudden rush of footsteps coming from an alley behind them and across the road. They turn around and Harry and Louis’ jaws drop when they recognise the familiar blonde coming towards them.

“Niall?!” Harry barks, gaping at their friend who stops dead in his tracks. He takes in the sight of Harry, Louis and Ellie and suddenly breaks out in a wide smile. “Fancy meeting you here” Niall gasps and reaches out to bring them into a tight hug. Louis notices thick, black marks across his neck but decides not to comment on it. Liam is next around the corner, looking exhausted but running with every inch of power left in him.

“Harry? Louis?” he is asking as he nears them and for the first time in a long time, Niall watches Liam smile widely. He joins the three of them in a huge hug and inspects them for any injuries.

“Where is Zayn?” Louis asks, searching behind Liam for his missing friend. They all turn to face the corner where Niall and Liam had emerged. “He should be on his way” Niall mutters, jiggling his leg slightly when Zayn does not appear.

Finally he comes rounding the corner but is screaming at them to run. They don’t move until they notice what follows Zayn around the corner. Hoards of Infected are following him, all of them screaming in hunger as they chase Zayn. “FUCKING RUN” Zayn repeats himself and Louis picks Ellie up before running towards the site as fast as his legs will allow.

Zayn is a bit behind them and Niall almost falls when he turns around to make sure he is OK. “Just keep running mate, he will follow us, he will” Liam runs alongside Niall, his hair sticking to his head and wiping trickles of sweat from his eyes. Niall nods and struggles to breathe as he runs, a large wall coming into view at the end of the road.

“Is that the site?” Harry calls out to them and Louis nods his head, struggling to keep his pace with Ellie clinging to his side. “You can let me down, I can run” she offers when Louis falls back. He debates this internally but refuses, just powers on behind Harry. The screaming won’t stop and the boys are fighting their fear by focusing on running towards the site.

The giant walls are made of white stone, with toxic symbols painted all over them in bright yellow. There are metal stairs leading up to doors that are scattered all over the wall. Several people are making their way up the first couple flights of stairs, the doors clogging with the crowds of panicked citizens. There are guards trying to organize the people calmly and get them all inside in time before the clock reaches half two.

“Come on!” Harry shouts, running around to find a flight of stairs that is not as crowded as the first few.

Harry makes his way up some relatively empty stairs and turns back to help Louis who finally releases Ellie and hands her to Harry. Harry clambers up the steps with her and places her down, briefly smiling at her for reassurance. Niall and Liam are nearly at the bottom of the stairs when the guard pokes his head out of the door.

“We’re closing in a minute and a half boys, you would want to get a move on” he announces, glancing suspiciously at Harry, Louis and Ellie. They watch in anticipation as Niall clambers over to the stairs, waiting for Liam and Zayn.

Every flight of stairs is emptying and the boys are growing more and more anxious watching Zayn as he avoids the screaming Infected.

“50 seconds” the guard barks.

“Jesus Christ Zayn” Harry groans and shoves Ellie and Louis inside the doorway. “Just in case” he murmurs when Louis tries to protest.

Harry pokes his head out and Niall and Liam are egging Zayn on, trying to get him to move faster. He is close to being caught by one of the Infected; Harry’s stomach is curling watching him.

“Come on” Harry shouts to Niall and Liam when the guard taps the face of his watch impatiently. Niall glances up at him and inches his way up the steps but Liam is moving closer to Zayn who has now reached the wall.

“Come on Zayn” Harry says through gritted teeth and Niall has joined him by his side, his leg moving in all sorts of directions with nerves.

“Right I’m closing this door” the guard says and pushes Louis off when he tries to stop him. “Half two precisely, that’s my orders” he snaps and begins dragging the heavy gate over the doorway.

“Liam!” Niall tries to shout over but his voice comes out in a broken voice, he clutches his neck and curses, standing in between the gate and the other side of the door.

“Liam he is closing the door” Harry shouts and Liam whips around and then back to Zayn. “Tell him a few more seconds Harry, tell him!” Liam pleads.

“Did you hear him, look our friend is just there, please sir, just wait!” Harry begs the guard who reluctantly pokes his head out of the doorway, taking in Zayn who is a few feet away from the foot of the stairs.

At the last moment, Zayn trips and falls on his face. Liam starts to run over to pick him up but Niall breaks past Harry and throws his arms around Liam’s torso and starts dragging him up the stairs.

Zayn stands up just as an Infected pounces on him but he he avoids their nails and teeth and kicks it away from him.

“Come on!!” Liam screams, struggling against Niall’s grip.

“This is a joke” the guard scoffs and starts to close the gate again. Niall falls, his grip on Liam still tight and Harry rushes over to pick them both up. Niall keeps pulling Liam back, his face red from the strain and Harry helps him, looking back at Louis who is trying to keep the gate open in panic.

Zayn finally stands up and runs towards the steps. Niall is now in the doorway and Liam is kicking his legs in protest. “Come on Zayn!” Liam shouts, watching in fear as another Infected clutches Zayn’s legs.

The guard drags them both in and tries to shut the gate. Liam breaks free of Niall’s grip and pushes the guard back. “Let us out!” Liam shouts, pushing the guard again. Louis reaches out to touch Liam’s arm reassuringly. “GET OFF ME!” Liam spits, inching closer to the guard.

“Liam” Niall says softly. Liam bangs his fist against the gate. “I have to get him! I have to Niall” his voice fades out and he once again faces the guard.

“Watch yourself boy, I’m trying to help you” the guard snaps and Liam growls and pulls his fist back, planting a heavy punch right in between the guards eyes, knocking him straight to the floor. Harry gapes in shock and Ellie cheers before Liam throws the gate open again and runs out the door.

Zayn is trying his best to fight the Infected off and Liam turns back and holds his hand out. Louis throws his bat towards Liam who catches it and runs down the stairs to Zayn. Not caring if Zayn has been bitten or scratched, Liam raises his arm and brings the bat crashing down onto the Infected’s head. It releases its grip on Zayn’s legs and screeches in pain, the others clambering up the steps to help kill both Zayn and Liam.

“Run Zayn!” Liam roars and Zayn pauses before running up the steps, throwing himself in the doorway- half dragged in by Niall. Liam lashes out one more time before retreating up the steps after Zayn. When he runs in the door, Harry and Louis drag the gate across and seal it shut. The five of them collapse onto the floor, panting from both the fear and exercise. Liam flings the bat away and moves toward Zayn, checking him for any scratches or bites.

“I’m ok, I’m ok” Zayn puffs, flinching as Liam presses down on a bruise growing on his cheekbone.

“Hey, what happened to not killing anything ever again?” Zayn says gently, trying to stop Liam from worrying by stroking his thumb across his hand that is resting on Zayn’s cheek.

“Well, you know… it was for you” Liam shrugs and avoids Zayn’s intense stare.

“Not again” Ellie moans and cowers under Louis’s arm who is fighting back a loud laugh.

Zayn forgets about everyone else there and grabs the sides of Liam’s face, crashing his lips against Liam’s catching the boy’s soft moan in his mouth.

Harry cheers and grabs Louis, planting his own kiss on him, pinning Louis down when he tries to shove him off. Niall covers his own eyes and Ellie’s, making gagging noises but his smile takes over most of his face.

“Can we all stop kissing and get out of here for God sake?” Ellie snaps, causing the four boys to break apart. Niall shakes his head and walks in front of the group with Ellie by his side.

They emerge from the dark hallway into a large clearing, large being an understatement. It is the equivalent of six football pitches in one, the grass home to about twenty large helicopters which are being loaded with people. A guard is waiting for them and informs them that they need to be inspected before they are given the all clear to get on a helicopter and get out of there.

They stand in line behind a group of middle aged men and women who seem to recognise the boys but don’t comment on it. Louis and Harry stand side by side, hands touching but not quite enough that they are holding hands, Ellie stands to Louis’ left and twiddles Clyde in her hand nervously.

“Louis, what… what is… oh never mind” she starts and finishes, scowling at the sky as if it has wronged her.

“Spit it out” he sighs and she turns to face him, keeping her head up high so as to avoid his gaze.

“What is going to happen to me?” she asks timidly. Louis’ stomach twists when he considers this; it never crossed his mind before. He kneels down and looks at her, properly looks at her. She has bright green eyes, like Harry's only lighter and he can almost count the freckles that are scattered around her nose and cheeks. Her face his dirty but he knows that as soon as this little girl in front of him smiles, that’s all you can see.

“You’re sticking with me” he tells her and waits for her reaction. She looks confused. “I mean it, I’m going to say you’re my little sister and you’re going to come home with me, that is if you want to of course” he rambles, suddenly nervous that this six year old will reject his offer.

“So…I’m going to live with you?” she squeaks, a hopeful gleam shining brightly in her eyes.

“Us” Harry coughs and Louis swats him away before turning to her again. She flings herself at Louis and hugs him so hard he almost passes out.

“Thank you so much” she whispers in his ear and pecks him on the cheek. He blushes and ruffles her hair. "As long as Clyde does what I tell him" he adds with a cheeky smile.

“Is she going to have two gay Dads and two gay uncles?” Niall jokes yelling in pain when Zayn punches him in the shoulder.

“Next” they hear a sharp order calling out to them and they all troop into the tent. There waits a doctor and an important looking official.

They state their names and ages, places of birth and residence before climbing up on the doctor’s bed to receive a very thorough examination.

They are all passed off, the doctor handing Niall a cream for his throat, dressing for Harry’s cut and a sling for Louis’ arm. Zayn is last and they all wait patiently for him to be examined so they can hop on the nearest helicopter.

The doctor asks Zayn to take his shirt off and the boys all wolf-whistle and nudge Liam obnoxiously, making both Zayn and Liam blush.

Their laughs are cut short when the doctor looks up from a mark on Zayn’s chest with a grim look on his face.

“What?” Zayn asks sharply, looking down at his chest with worry.

“You’ve been scratched”

“No” Liam whispers and goes to walk to Zayn. The doctor holds out his arm to hold Liam back and regards Zayn with fear. “Fetch the high-security guards” he tells the guard at the door and steps further away from Zayn, blocking Liam and the others from reaching him.

“What? I’m not Infected, I’m not going to hurt you” Zayn says as the doctor backs away from him.

The boys push past the doctor and run over to Zayn to look at the mark on his chest. The doctor is right, his chest has a small gash on it and Harry bites down on his cheek when he notices the same pus oozing from it like the one that had oozed from Chris’s.

“Get away from him you fools” the doctor snaps, looking out the tent for the guards. Niall paces over to him and lowly tells him to shut up before turning back to his friends.

“What’s going to happen?” Zayn asks, trying to remain calm but his friends can hear the panic rising in his voice. None of them have an adequate response and they remain silent, Liam clutching onto Zayn’s arm protectively.

The tent is suddenly swamped with guards in protective clothing, masks covering their face giving them a terrifying appearance.

“You five, off to the helicopters. You are coming with us” one of them say and grab onto Zayn suddenly, pulling him out of Liam’s hands.

“Wait, wait, what’s going to happen?!” Louis asks, stepping in front of the exit of the tent.

“He needs to go to Quarantine, he will probably change” a guard says bluntly.

“No, he is fine, it’s just a small cut” Niall steps up beside Louis, folding his arms across his chest.

“He is not fine. He has been scratched by an Infected. If we let him get on one of the helicopters, he will change and kill all of you, simple as that!” another guard pipes up, prising Harry and Liam off Zayn.

“And what will happen in Quarantine?” Zayn asks, the panic now ripe in his voice, his brown eyes wide and scared.

“You will be given various vaccinations, if you are lucky they will kick in and you can return to your friends after a couple of days. If you are not so lucky… well, I don’t need to tell you that right now” a female voice informs him, more gently than the other guards had been.

“The helicopters are nearly ready to leave, off we go now!” the guard holding onto Zayn snaps and starts to push them all out of the tent.

“Get on the helicopter” Zayn tells them all, seeing that look in their eye as they all try to stay rooted to the spot. “I’ll be fine”. He looks at Liam who is clenching his fists at his side, visibly trying to come up with some sort of plan to get Zayn out of this. “Get on the helicopter Liam” Zayn mutters, his eyes only focused on Liam’s now and they threaten to fill with tears.

“Let us say goodbye to him” Harry pleads, staring the guards down until they release Zayn unwillingly. They stand near-by, guns in hand. Each of the boys pull Zayn in tight, reassuring him that he will be OK and that they will see him soon. They are led to a helicopter and Liam stands in front of Zayn arms trembling slightly.

“Time to go” a guard snaps and moves to grab Zayn.

“Fuck off” Liam growls and the guard freezes and points his finger accusingly at Liam but does not budge, just taps his foot impatiently.

“Well then, I’ll be seeing you!” Zayn jokes but the tone of his voice is not right, it does not drip with the usual enthusiasm Liam is accustomed to.

Liam can’t speak, his mind is racing with a million things he has always wanted to say to Zayn but never could and he can’t quite form them into words now. Instead he tries to put everything he has into a kiss that he plants on Zayn’s lips and into his hands which are stroking the hair at the nape of his neck softly. They break apart and Zayn looks at Liam with a thousand different emotions flicking across his eyes.

“I love you” Zayn whispers and is suddenly dragged away by the guards. The sounds of helicopter blades fill the stadium, the wind they brew up blowing Liam’s hair wildly.

He watches as Zayn is dragged away, struggling but refusing to protest, trying to remain as brave as he can for his friends. Liam’s heart feels like it has cracked, he can’t move, speak, even breath.

He can hear the others calling him from the helicopter but he thinks that if he tries to move he will either fall to the floor or try and run after Zayn. He feels strong hands gripping him under his arms and pulling him over to the helicopter. He looks up into Harry’s tear stained face and lets the younger boy pull him into the vehicle.

They are all resting on the seats, looking out the window in silence. Harry and Niall are wiping away tears and Louis is rocking a distraught Ellie back and forth on his knee, looking at Liam with concern. He reaches out and grasps Liam’s hand in his own and holds onto it for most of the journey. Liam feels the love Louis is trying to send him and appreciates it but can’t help replaying Zayn’s words over and over again in his head.

Why didn’t he say it back? Why didn’t he fight to get Zayn on the helicopter with them? The rational side of him knows the answers to the questions but he hates himself anyway.

The questions and the memories over-flood his brain and he finally cracks. He feels himself break and he lets out a low moan of agony. Tears begin to stream down his face and he hears heavy sobs escape his mouth, doubling over as if he were in severe pain.

“Oh Liam” he hears Louis whisper and he is suddenly grabbed into a hug, Harry and Niall joining them. All three of them have their arms around Liam as he lets himself scream in pain and anguish. He thinks he can hear the rest of them sob but ignores it; it will only make him feel worse if he contemplates the pain his friends must be in too. 

The helicopter finally lands and Liam feels empty, the tears no longer flowing and he shakes his head when Niall offers to help him out of the helicopter. They all look weary, stepping off the helicopter, blocking their eyes from the sun.

They stand together, Ellie in Harry’s arms, Louis on his other side. Niall stands beside them with his hand on Liam’s lower back and they watch as people fall to the ground in happiness, some even kissing the grass and whooping with delight.

They are free but none of them feel it, not at all.

~~

**Day 102**

Eighty eight days later Harry and Louis have found they are raising Ellie together, a typically happy couple, some might say disgusting. Some being Niall.

And Liam is still waiting for Zayn to come home.

//

end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you if you read this :)   
> aaand I am sorry...


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